A total of $239 million has been set aside for the Improvement of the Emergency Communication System in Jamaica (IECSJ) project. Details are outlined in the 2020/2021 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project, which is being implemented by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), is to develop a national emergency communication system...

The Government will be constructing high-dependency units (HDUs) at four hospitals to reduce neonatal deaths, from an allocation of $620 million in the 2020/2021 Budget, now before the House of Representatives. Under the Programme for Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality (PROMAC), procurement for the HDUs will be completed, and training of doctors and nurses and other health professionals will...

The Government has set aside $1 billion for the construction of new classrooms at 12 shift and overcrowded schools during the 2020/21 fiscal year. Details have been outlined in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project will be implemented under the Primary and Secondary Infrastructure Programme by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information...

The National HIV/AIDS Response in Jamaica initiative has been allocated $784 million in the 2020/2021 Budget, now before the House of Representatives. The objective of the project is to reduce AIDS-related deaths by reaching at-risk individuals with support interventions, for the decrease of new HIV infections among targeted groups, through structured programmes. Targets to achieve over the next twelve months...

An additional $25 million has been earmarked in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, to continue institutional capacity strengthening at the Financial Services Commission (FSC) during the next fiscal year. The project, which commenced in October 2017, aims to bolster the FSC’s operational and technical capabilities to undertake risk-based supervision across the insurance, pensions and...

The Government has earmarked $250 million to complete 60 per cent of construction work on the Western Children’s Adolescent Hospital. Details for the 220-bed facility are outlined in the 2020/2021 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. Completion work has been done on site clearance and access road, utility relocation and reconnection, and security services. Under the Government...

The Government has allocated $70 million to complete renovation of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s head office at National Heroes Circle and its Caenwood Centre facilities on Arnold Road in Kingston, during the 2020/21 fiscal year. Details are provided in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The activities for the project this year...

A sum of $143 million has been allocated in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure to complete construction of a special education diagnostic centre at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) in Portland. The funds will also go towards the installation of a waste water system on the property. A total of three diagnostic centres are being established by...